A COMPANY that makes machines used in manufacturing products as diverse as cricket balls, prosthetic limbs and equipment for oil rigs is poised for further expansion after seeing profits rise by 10 per cent.

Barnsley-based CTM builds highly specialised machines that allow clients around the world to mix and dispense polyurethane.

“We’ve grown the firm around providing maintenance, support services and parts for polyurethane equipment,” says managing director Ruth Wootton, who founded and runs the business with her husband, Shane.

“We saw an opportunity to also develop our own bespoke machines, which has paid off. We’re really proud of what’s been achieved so far and are excited about the future.

“The applications for polyurethane are so diverse because, through the tweaking of chemistry, the self-same material can finish up soft and spongy or strong and hard.

“Our machines are in operation in all sorts of industries, including automotive, building construction, and health technology, and we’re a world-class leader when it comes to equipment dedicated to the offshore market.”

Machines built by CTM include one of the biggest for coating and joining huge oil rig pipes which processes 2,000 kilograms of mixed material every minute.

Growth in orders for new machines, together with increasing demand for maintenance and servicing, has boosted jobs as well as profits for the company, which started out in Deepcar and now operates from the Zenith Business Park at Claycliffe.

Now, the company is targeting further expansion after partnering with a major Italian manufacturer.

CTM has turned to experts from Enterprising Barnsley for help with marketing and accountancy systems, among other things and Ruth Wootton is full of support for the business support agency.

“It came as a pleasant surprise that this support is available and it’s been superb,” said Ruth.

“I couldn’t have asked for anything more. It’s helping to take us to the next level as we deal with increasingly bigger clients.”